Dust-pan.



NITED; STATEs PATENT Frrcn,

XVILLIAM N. BATES, OF ATLANTIC, IOWA.

DUSTf-PAN.

sPEcIFIoArIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,227, ciatea June 5, 1900.

Application filed February 23, 1900. Serial No. 6,290. (No model.)

To all whom, it may conccrn:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. BATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlantic, in the county of Oass and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dust-Pans; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention provides,l ba long handled dust-pan which will preclude stooping, stand alone when sweeping the dust therein, and which will fold to facilitate emptying of the dust and enable the pan to be suspended from a nal or like support applied to a wall or partition.

Another purpose of the invention is .the

provsion of a d ust-pan of the character and possessing the features aforesaid which .will involve a simple, light, durable, cheap, and easily-operable construction and minimum number of parts, the means being of such nature as to be easily applied to any form or pattern of dust-pan now manufactured without requiring any change in the plant or means already provided for constructing the pans.

The invention also consists of the novel features, details of construction, and combination of the parts which hereinafter will be more fully disclosed and finall y claimecl, and for this purpose and also toacquire a knowledge of the merits of the invention and thev structural details of the means whereby the v results are attained reference is to be had tok position of the parts when the panis folded.V

Fig. 4 is a rear perspective view of the footplece and attached parts.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the Views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The dust-pan 1 may be of any form, make, or pattern and is shown to demonstrate the application and workings of the invention, the latter consisting, essentially, of the handle 2 and the parts coperating therewith to admit of the pan folding and having a bracing connection with the handle when in working position.

A foot is applied at a central point to the back of the pan to hold the rear portion elevated, whereby the front edge is held in close contact with the fioor, so as,to enable the sweepings being readily bru'shed into the pan. This foot is preferably Fformed of a strip or oblong blank of metal having its end portions bent, as shown at 3 and 4, and the intermeso'disposed and proportioned that the dust may be swept into the pan without any fearl of tilting or upsetting the article and spilling the sweepings upon the fl'oor.

The handle 2 has pivotal connection with the foot, its lower end being formed with a kerf 6 to receive a lug 7, projectin g rearwardly from the foot, said lug being formed in the most convenient manner by bending a metal blank or strip intermediate of its ends into right-angular form and securing one of the ends to the foot or part 5 by means of a rivet, soldering, or the like and pivotally connecting the other bent end with the handle in the manner stated.

In order to maintain thehandle in an upright position, means are provided and interposed between it and thepan, the same consisting of a bail 8, having its end portions pivotally connected With the sides of the pan a short distance from the back and having a loop or eye 9 at a central point to receive and IOO run upon the handle 2. This loop or eye 9 is formed bybending a portion of the wire comprising the bail at a central point and intertwisting the parts, as shown at 10, so as to maintain the form of the eye. The eye 9 is bent at an obtuse angle with reference to the plane of the bail and occupies a position about at a right angle to the length of the handle. A Spring-catch 11, fitted to the handle 2, cooperates with the bail and holds itin fixed position with reference to the handle when the latter is turned into an upright position or about at a right angle to the plane of the pan. The catch 11v consists of Spring-wire having its lower end seated in a Saw-out provided in a side of the handle 2, the upper end of the wire being formed into a loop 12 and finger-piece 18, a pin 14 eXtending across the Saw-out, engaging with the closed end of the loop 12, and preventing outward displacement of the upper or free end of the Spring-catch. VVhen the pan is turned so as to occupy a position approximately at a right angle to the handle 2, the part 10 of the bail enters the looped portion 12 of the catch and holds the handle and pan in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When it is required to fold the pan, the finger-piece 13 is pressed upon, thereby disengaging theI catch from the bail, and upon lifting the handle 2 the pan will automatically fold and assume the position shown in Fig. 3, when the device can be suspended from a nail or analogous device by means of an eye 15, applied to the upper end of the handle. The pan may be turned into an operative position by bringing its lower edge in contact with the floor and pressing down upon the handle, which will cause the loop or eye 9 to run upward upon the handle 2 until engaged by the looped portion 12 of the Spring-catch, when the part-s will be held in the relationshown in Figs. 1 and 2.

It will be noticed that the handle is pivoted directly to the foot in the rear of the pan and is braced from the latter by means of the bail. Ilence very little force is required to hold the handle in an upright position, and the weight i of the handle does not come directly upon the pan. It will also be observed that the handle and adjunctive parts can be readily applied to any make or style of pan by simply attaching the foot to the back of the pan and the free ends of the bail to the sides thereof, such attachment being readily effected by any person skilled in the handling of tools.

For the purpose of holding the handle and pan absolutely rigid when the parts are disposed as in Fig. 2 the handle is formed near its lower end with a notch 16 to receive the upper rear edge 17 of the pan. This construction provides a slot-and-tongue connection which effectually obviates independent play of the parts when the pan is supported to receive the sweepings.

Having thus described the in'vention, what is claimed as new is i 1. In combination with a dust-pan, a foot Secured at its upper end to the back of the pan and inclining downwardly and. rearwardly and terminating in a horizontal widened portion to obtain an extended bearing upon the floor, a handle pivotally connected to the inclined portion of said footpiece, a bail constituting a brace having pivotal connection with the pan a short distance in advance of the back and having a running connection with the handle, and means for securin g the running end of the bail to the handle when the latter and pan have assumed a position about at a right angle to each other, Substantially as described.

2. In combination with a dust-pan, a foot Secured at its upper end to the back of the pan and inclining downwardly and rearwardly and terminating in a horizontal widened portion to obtain an extended bearing upon the floor, a lug projecting rearwardly from the inclined portion of the foot, a handle having pivotal connection with said lug, a bail having pivotal connection with the pan and a running connection with the handle,

and means applied to the handle for securing the bail when the pan has been turned to occupy a position about at a right angle to the handle, Substantially as described.

3. In combination with a dust-pan, a foot Secured at its upper end to the back of the pan and inclining downwardly and rearwardly and terminating in a horizontal widened portion to obtain an extended bearing upon the floor, a handle pivotally connected to the inclined portion of said footpiece, a Spring-catch applied to the handle and having a free end bent to form a loop constituting a receiving portion and upper and lower Stops and a finger-piece proj ectin g outwardly and upwardly beyond the loop, and a wire bail having its lower end pivotally connected with the pan and its upper end bent to form an integral eye embracing the handle and cooperating with the catch, Substantially as described.

4. In combination with a dust-pan, a foot Secured to the back thereof and inclining rearwardly and terminating in a widened portion to rest upon the floor, a metal piece bent at a right angle and Secured at one end to the foot and having its opposite end constituting a lug, a handle receiving the lug at its lower end and pivoted thereto, a Spring Secured at one end to the handle and having its opposite end bent to provide a loop, and a bail having pivotal connection wi th the pan and having its middle portion bent to provide an eye, the latter receiving' the handle and adapted to run thercon and engage with the looped portion of the Spring, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my Signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM N. BATES. [L. S.]

Witnesses:

DELIA LYNoH, EDWARD M. WILLARD.

IOO

IIO 

